Cook with Toucan

Potato soup with carrot and mushrooms

Potato soup, we say “bramboracka” in Czech, is one of the most popular soups in this country. It is the autumn/winter soup, when you want to take something warm...something what fills you up, but you will not be overeaten...something, where you can use various autumn ingredients – potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. I love this soup! So I hope that you will like it too. It’s really easy to cook and tastes well!

Ingredients for 4 to 6 servings:

• dried mushrooms (2 handfuls)
  • according to taste, it is possible add more
• warm water (300 ml = 0,5 pt. UK = 1 1/3 cups)

• oil (5 – 6 tbsp.)
• medium yellow onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut it finely
• soft white flour (2 tbsp.)
• medium potato (3 to 4 pcs)
  • peel, cut into cubes (size approx. 1 to 2 cm = 0,4 to 0,8 in.)
• medium carrot (3 pcs)
  • peel, cut into cubes (the same size as potatoes)
• salt (1 tsp.) (​+ according your taste)
• ground pepper (2 pinches) (+ 1 pinch)
• ground all spice (1 pinch or 5 berries) (+ 1 pinch or no more berries)
• ground caraway (2 pinches) (+ 1 pinch)
• cold water (1,7 l = 3 pt. UK = 7 cups)

• whole egg (3 pcs)
  • crack them into small bowl
• fresh parsley (3 full tbsp.)
  • chop it finely

Preparation:

• at first prepare dried mushrooms (if you have fresh, preparation will be another, you find it later at Tips)
• immerse dried mushrooms into warm water (but do not boil them)
• it is necessary to immerse them minimal 20 to 30 minutes (Tips ↓1)

• now prepare base of soup
• heat oil (5 – 6 tbsp.) in the big pot and sauté onion (Tips ↓2)
• after onion becomes golden brown (Tips ↓3), add soft white flour
• stir everything well
• flour has to become golden (Tips ↓4)

• pour dried mushrooms with water into big pot
• now you have to stir quick and well (ideally use a beater to do not have lumps in soup)
• if you have fresh mushrooms, add only warm water into pot in this while (fresh mushrooms not now)

• add potatoes and carrots into pot
• now add spices too: salt (1 tsp.), ground pepper (2 pinches), ground all spice (1 pinch or 5 berries) and ground caraway (2 pinches)
• pour cold water
• bring to boil
• when it starts boiling, turn temperature down
• everything has to be soft (potatoes, carrots and mushrooms) (Tips ↓5)
• boiling will be take approx. 20 minutes

• when it is done, break yolks in bowl with wooden spoon, pour eggs into soup and stir
• but do not stir quickly! (Tips ↓6)

• at this moment taste soup
• add more spices according your taste
• I added salt to taste, ground pepper (1 pinch), ground all spice (1 pinch) and ground caraway (1 pinch)
• but maybe you will add nothing (because you like finer soups)
• at last add chopped parsley
• serve warm (Tips ↓7)

Tips:

1. I do not let immerse dried mushrooms longer, because I like them little bit crunchy, no soaked.
2. If you use larger onion, add more oil. Onion has to sauté in sufficient volume of oil, not burn.
3. Be careful for level of sautéing onion. It has to be golden brown. If onion will be lighter, soup will be lighter too. But if you sauté onion too much, and there will be many brown and black pieces of onion, whole soup will be bitter!
4. Now you have prepared the roux. In Czech we have two types of roux – with sautéed onion and without onion.
5. If you use fresh mushrooms, at first bring to boil soup with potatoes and carrots. After 10 minutes boiling add fresh mushrooms (cleaned and washed). Then boil everything into soft.
6. If you will stir soup with eggs too much quickly, eggs will torn up into small pieces, and it does not look well.
7. If you will serve this soup with baked goods, this dish can be adequate light dinner.